COUNTY NEWS: Child injured at Butlin’s

Laura Cartledge

A mum has told of how a family holiday turned into a nightmare when her son was injured at Butlin’s, Bognor Regis.

Her seven-year-old was in the soft play area when a ‘matchstick’ sized metal pin became embedded in his foot.

She said: “He came running out to me, I was about ten feet from the entrance, and he was hobbling.

“We could just see the end of it so I alerted the guy at the entrance and told him we needed first aid.”

Instructed they needed to go to hospital, the family were directed to the War Memorial Hospital and then St Richard’s where it was removed.

A Butlin’s spokesman said it shares ‘the family’s concern that a child suffered an injury’ while at the resort and stated it is ‘investigating fully’ adding Butlin’s ‘obviously regret what happened’.

They said: “We’d like to assure them that we have treated the matter with the utmost concern throughout, and will keep in close contact and update them as to the results of our findings.

The Butlin’s spokesman added: “The injury was sustained outside the soft play area and, after cleaning and checking the soft play area itself, our resort team were happy to allow it to be used again.”

However the mum expressed her concern Butlin’s ‘are definitely not taking it seriously’ as she ‘found five more [pieces of metal] since’ the incident.

She said: “The following morning they wanted to go back in there, we are not allowed to go swimming or to the beach the doctor told us because of fear of infection, and if you take that away there isn’t much.

“I asked if they could keep their shoes on and the guy said no so I went in with them to the barefoot area.

“When I went to put the shoes in the holder I looked down and found another one, despite the fact they assured me they had done a big clean.

“It wasn’t hidden or anything, just on the tiles. I got the manager down to say it wasn’t good enough.”

She added: “There are other children going through there barefoot and it makes me cringe as I have seen the damage it can do.”

Butlin’s spokesman said: “The items found by the guests were outside the soft play area: what they are and where they came from are the focus of our investigation as naturally we want to do all we can to avoid a repeat.”

Unable to relax, or enjoy all of the facilities, the family who live in Kent, called the trip ‘a waste of time and money’ and said ‘we are never coming back’.